Electric switch



mmm@

June 1.0

T. A. BOTH ELETHIc swITcH Filed April 21 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 AoRNEYJune w 1924. 1,497,060

- T.A.BOTH

ELECTRI C SWITCH Filed April 2l. 1919 2 Shets+8heet 2 INVENTOR PatentedJune 10, 1924.

UNTT ST PATENT OFFECE..

TONJEs A. BOTH, OIE STRATEORE, CONNECTICUT, AssIcNoE TO THE CONNECTIHCUTELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A conPORA'IION 0F CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Application filed April 21, 1919. Serial No. 291,577.

To all whom t may' concern Be it known that I, ToNJEs A. BOTH, a citizenof the United States, residing at Stratford, county of Fairfield, Stateof Connecticut, have invented an Tmprovement in Electric Switches, ofwhich the following is a specification. j

This invention relates to improvements in electric switches and hasfor'its object the provision of means for Causing an especially quickmake and quick break of lthe switch parts. Tn most switches asheretofore constructed it was necessary to provide an expensiveframework to keep the parts together and in accurate operative alignmentand adjustment, and in others, it was -necessary to depend too much uponthe porcelain or other insulating body. This `made it necessary to makethe insulating body very accurately, which entailed the heavy cost ofkeeping the dies accurate to very close dimensions.

It is an object of my present invention to overcome these objections byproviding a switch which depends largely upon the key shaft for'limitingthe movement of the parts and to retain them in proper alignment andadjustment.

A further object is to provide a switch wherein the movable contactserves as a bearing for some ofthe movable elements of the switchmechanism.

One physical embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the'accompanying drawings, wherein:

, Fig. 1 is a view of an ordinary socket containing switch meansconstructed according to my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the socketl shell in vertical section.

, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the switch removed yfrom the socket shell. l

Fig. 4 shows inl perspective the partsofV my improved switch indisassembled rela-- tion.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view line 5 5 of Fig. 3 looking inthedirection of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the parts in circuit closedposition.

Fig. 7 is avview similarto Fig. 6 looking in the opposite direction.

Fig. 8 is` a bottom view of thev parts shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7.

A on they -suitable key ,for operating the switch. The

numerals v23 and 24 indicate, respectively, the .top and bottominsulating blocks and 25 is the screw shell for receiving the base of an.electric lamp or connecting plug. This shell yis seated upon a portionof the shell connector 26 which lies alongside the insulating blocks andcarries at its upper end the binding screw 27 to which one of the wiresis connected. The vnumeral 28 is applied to the center contact (seeFigs. 4, 7 and 8), which is held in place by a rivet 29 which alsoserves to connect it with a connector 30, having a bent-up contactear31. Adjacent to ear 31 Vand'extending iu an opposite direction is adownwardly bent cov contact ear 33 of a connector32 attached j to thebottom insulating block by a screw 34 which also passes thru andv holdsin po# sition a connector 35, thru which passes a binding screw 36 towhich the other wire is connected.

Tt will be seen the circuit it will.be necessary to provide means forbridging the space betweenv con tact ears 31 and 33, and for'thispurpose I have provided a U-shaped switch'member,

mounted for oscillation on a pin 37 re` that in orderv to'` complete`housing 45 between the arms of which crank 43 is located, and which isprovided with bent over ear portions 46 forming shoes sliding inapertures 41.

The key sha-ft is journaled in a recess 47 in the lower insulating blockand is held against endwise play by a slotted collar 48, fitting areduced portion 49 on the shaft and receivable in a recess 50 in block24.

It will be seen that when the key shaft is rotated housing 45 will berotated in unison therewith, the shoes sliding in circular apertures 41.The pressure of spring 44 will therefore be exerted in a direction whichis alternately above and below pivot 37 and the switch member will becaused to alternately move upward and downward into and out ofconnection with contact ears 31 and 33, and this movement will takeplace suddenly so that arcing at the contact points is reduced to aminimum.

ln Fig. 11 the key shaft is shown as being rotated in a clockwisedirection, and the housing or operative member 45 and spring 44 arepositioned in a line passing through pin 37. Upon a slight furthermovement of the key shaft the switch member will be violently throwndownward for closing the circuit. Fig. 12 shows the parts in a positionfor closing the circuit by rotating the shaft in the opposite direction.Figs. 13 and 14 show the switch member in closed circuit position; theparts being shown in position just before. the switch member is vto moveupward for breaking the circuit.

lt lwill be seen that during a complete rotation of the key shaft in onedirection the switch member will be moved through two strokes or onecomplete oscillation. lf rotated in the reverse direction two strokes ofthe switch member will again result, but as these strokes do not occurat the same point in the rotation of the shaft the mechanism possessesfour points of action-two in either direction of rotation.

lt will be noted also that the key shaft serves as a stop to limit themovement in both directions of the switch member and that the switchmember provides a bearing for the yieldable operative means foractuating said switch member.

It will be seen therefore that l have provided a device which fullls theobjects primarily stated and while l have shown a single embodiment ofinvention, it is clear that other forms thereof may readily be providedwithout departing from my invention as dened in the following` claims 1.In an electric switch, a pivoted switch member provided with atransverse opening in the body thereof, an operating inember extendingthrough said opening and provided with a crank, a movable memberhaving ashoe extending into the opening providing sliding engagement with thewalls of the switch member about said opening, and a spring bearing atone end in said movable member and the other end against said crank.

2. vin an electric switch, a pivoted switch member comprising spacedarms having transverse openings therein, a key-shaft eX- tending throughsaid openings and provided with a crank between said arms, a movablemember between said arms and having shoes extending into the openingsproviding' sliding engagement with said switch member and adapted toslide circumferentially in the openings, and a spring connecting themovable member and the crank.

3. ln an electric switch, a pivoted switch member having spaced contactarms provided with transverse openings, a key shaft extending throughsaid openings provided with a crank, a substantially U-shaped housingbetween said arms and extending on opposite sides of said crank, saidhousing being provided with outwardly extending shoes projecting intothe openings having` sliding engagement with the switch member andadapted to slide circumferentially in the openings, and a compressionspring within the housing bearing at one end against the housing and. atthe other end against said crank.

4A ln an electric switch, a pivoted switch member having spaced contactarms provided with transverse openings, an operating shaft extendingthrough said openings and provided with a crank, a housing be tween saidarms having spaced sides on oppositc sides of the crank and guidingelements having sliding engagement with said arms in said openings, anda spring carried by said housing between said sides and eX- tendingbetween the same and said crank.

ln an electric switch, a pivoted switch member having spaced contactarms provided with transverse openings, an operating shaft extendingthrough said openings and provided with a crank between the arms, ahousing having spaced sides on opposite sides of thc crank and guidingelements having sliding engagement with the walls of said openings, anda spring within the housing and bearing at one end against one end ofthe housing and at the other end against the crank.

6. An electric switch comprising a support, a crank shaft, a crankconnected therewith, a switch member, a pivot therefor at one end, saidswitch member having contact iingers at the other end and an enlargedportion intermediate the ends having an aperture surrounding said crankshaft, a housing carried by said switch member, a spring member bearingat one end on said housing and at its other end upon said crank, meanson said housing connecting it to said enlarged portion and providing aloose connection between said crank and said switch member, and meansfor moving said crankshaft to shift the switch member.

7. An electric switch comprising a support, a crank shaft, a crankconnected therewith, a pivoted switch member having a switch fingerthereon and an enlarged apertured portion intermediate its endssurrounding said crank shaft, a housing having ears carried by saidswitch member and forming shoes for sliding upon said switch member, aspring interposed between the crank and the housing and communicatingthe driving movement of said crank to said housing and said shoes sothat said shoes can be moved entirely around the aperture in said switchmember upon a complete rotation of the crank shaft, and thereby placino'the switch finger, the crank, crank shaft, and pivot in alinement atseveral different points in the travel of the crank, at which points theswitch shall be moved.

8. An electric switch, comprising a manually operative rotatable memberhaving a curved guiding wall, a pivoted switch member, a member slidableon said guiding wall on said switch member, and a spring memberconnected to the slidable member and connected to said manuallyoperative member, said manually operative member, said spring member andsaid slidable member being arranged to turn together during most of therotation of the manually operative member.

9. An electric switch comprising a support, a crank, a pivoted switchmember, contacts adapted to be joined thereby, said switch member havingan apertured portion thereon, a housing carried by said switch memberand having a bearing member sliding on the walls forming the peripheryof said aperture, and a spring enclosed by the housing connecting saidhousing and said crank to position the housing in correspondence withthe crank.

10. An electric switch comprising a support, an operative member, aswitch member, a pivot therefor, said switch member having an openingthrough which the operative member passes, said operative member andsaid opening forming means for limiting the movement of said switch,said operative member also constituting means for preventing transversemovement of the switch and maintaining its alinement, said pivot andsaid operative member being the sole means for limiting the movement ofthe parts and for retaining them in proper alinement and adjustment.

l1. An electric switch comprising a pivoted switch member, having anenlarged portion with an opening, an operating member passingtherethrough, a housing extending on opposite sides of the operativemember and having portions sliding on the switch member in said opening,a spring enclosed by the housing and connecting said operativemember andsaid housing, said operative member being rotatable upon its axis andadapted for moving the housing and the spring around said axis.

12. An electric switch comprising a pivoted switch member, a key shaft,said switch member being provided with an opening intermediate the endsthereof, connecting means extending between the key shaft and the switchmember and having sliding contact with the walls of the opening so thatit will slide about the periphery of the opening under the action of thekey shaft.

13. An electric switch comprising a switch member having an openingtherein, a key shaft passing through said opening, connecting meansjoining the key shaft to said switch member at the opening, saidconnecting means having sliding connection with said switch member insaid opening and adapted to slide around the periphery of said openingunder the influence of the key shaft.

14. An electric switch comprising a switch member, an opening therein, apivot for said switch member, a key shaft, a crank thereon, a housing, aspring therein, a shoe on said housing passing through the opening inthe switch member and engaging the switch member between the portionsthereof and means on said housing engaging the crank and retaining thespring against the crank pin, said crank moving said housing around theopening in the switch member.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

roNJEs A. BOTH.'

